Verdict: Read it
This isn't the first book or even the 5th that I've read on some of the travesties that have occured and are still occuring in Kashmir. It never gets easier to read or digest.
The novel itself is an easy read. It's an easily identifiable version of Romeo and Juliet or Laila Majnu. As with most other content about Kashmiris, I found myself almost holding my breath for the inevitable tragedy that occurs just after the author makes you feel you know the character or right before the story ends. This book held true to that pattern. I still think that these types of books are worth reading. Not for the Romeo and Juliet vibe, but because the entire of Kashmir is littered with tragedies and one can't just avoid it because it's uncomfortable. Novels like this also give some of the social and personal context that affects individuals, not just military/country/general population. I also feel individual stories give a great deal of perspective that's not offered by media or official channels; it's often seen dramatically different from an individual perspective. Experiences also can be vastly different depending on one's family, religious community, job, and social or economic status. To put it simply, it's a very complicated problem that is best understood from as many angles as possible.
I've been living in India now for 12 years. I too have been caught up in the romantic idea of Kashmir and its beautiful scenery, as well as trying to untangle the complicated web of how it evolved into what is the scenario today. Obviously it's deeply interesting to me in a way that it might not be to others.
Read it!
~Becky~
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